College is expensive, so any option you have to lower your tuition cost is generally worth a shot. Student Loan Hero says negotiating a financial aid offer is worth a try, and they break down the whole process.

If you’ve been offered aid, you can try asking for a better deal by submitting a letter of appeal to the college. As Student Loan Hero explains, administrators are allowed to adjust FAFSA data for special circumstances, and if you can prove a need-based or merit-based circumstance, you could nab a better deal.

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A needs-based appeal would be something like a job loss or pay cut, and a merit-based appeal would be: improved grades since submitting your FAFSA, additional letters of recommendation, or an offer from another school. When you submit your appeal, provide third-party documentation. Beyond that, here are some other tips they suggest:

Keep the letter short and fact-filled, avoiding long, emotional appeals. Financial aid administrators do not want to hear sob stories or complaints. They want data they can plug into the formula that determines whether you get more money or not.

Include a breakdown of figures illustrating how much you will be falling short. Your job is to demonstrate your additional need as clearly as possible.

Avoid asking for a specific dollar amount.

If you have an offer from another school, state that their school (the one you’re appealing to) is your number one choice and if they match the offer, you will attend.

Refer to the process as “professional judgment” or “appeal,” not “negotiation” or “bargaining.”

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Of course, there’s no guarantee it will work, but they list a few schools that say they accept almost half of their appeals. All it takes is a letter, so it’s worth a shot.

For more advice, you’ll definitely want to check out Student Loan hero’s full post at the link below.